


Tsunayoshi and the Mystery of the Vanishing Schoolboys

by chaeou



Series: Heaven Doesn't Exist for Us [1]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Everyone Is Alive, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Harry potter themes but not really, M/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, Possessive Reborn (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Psychological Trauma, Smart Sawada Tsunayoshi, The Author Regrets Nothing, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, bermuda is apart of the arcobaleno, colonnello is trying his best, fon deserves a raise, luce is scary, mammon is willing to rob a bank, no one is a good person, rich kids are evil, skull is over it, verde is not having it, we can fight
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:28:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24452104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaeou/pseuds/chaeou
Summary: In a school trying to bleed them dry, Tsuna tries to navigate through the cliques and rumors to find out the real reason why his brother died. [Mute!Tsuna Teen!Arcobaleno]
Relationships: Arcobaleno/Sawada Tsunayoshi
Series: Heaven Doesn't Exist for Us [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1775185
Comments: 22
Kudos: 154





	1. chapter zero

**Author's Note:**

> Cross posted on Fanfiction.net

_“The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”—George Bernard Shaw_

* * *

Sometimes, even when we pray and beg for nothing but blessings, what we're left with is empty promises and false hope.

It was in the middle of October when it happened; the streets flooded by the rain, making busy bodies scatter around and about to find shelter. Dark clouds swept over the small town of Acadia Grove, fishermen quickly tying their boats to the docks before scampering off; adults and children alike piling into cars with home as the set destination. In the corner of Ellsworth and Blossom Street stood Acadia Grove hospital. It was painted a cream-white with accents of blue, the sign spelling 'EMERGENCY' hung securely on the face of the entrance wall. The hospital was one of the newer buildings, sticking out with its clean coat of white. The buildings around it were much older, the worn down concrete bricks screamed their age.

At this moment, inside of the baby ward were doctors and nurses rushing to aid anyone in need, blurs of color flashing in and out of rooms before disappearing into restricted corridors. Delivery room 27 occupied nothing but teal scrubs and white masks, a sight well known among obstetricians; the appearance of red splotches making its debut in the tenth hour since they've gathered. With determination and exhaustion seeping into her bones, the expecting mother kept pushing and by the 20 hour mark, the world finally stopped breathing.

Tsuna Sawada opened his eyes and let out a silent cry.

New mother of one, Nana Sawada looked around wearily, barely making out the troubled expressions of the nurses. She ignored them in favor of her new born son. When a nurse approached with her child, she lifted her arms up and held her child close to her chest, a small smile making its way onto her face.

“Welcome to the world Tsunayoshi.” She mumbled, pressing a soft kiss against his head.

The boy did nothing but curl up in his mother’s hold, enjoying the warmth she provided. The nurses busied themselves to take care of the mess surrounding the bed, as Nana fawned over her son. He reminded her of a raw potato, like the ones she bought from the store a few weeks ago. He was a bit pink, looking like a small baby alien potato.

She loved her small baby alien potato son.

As a few minutes passed, she began to notice that something wasn’t right. In fact, the nurses' troubled expressions from before were starting to make sense.

Tsuna wasn’t making any noise.

That couldn’t be right. She made sure to do everything the doctors advised, from the dieting to exercising to even playing music. She did _everything_ by the book, so why wasn't he making noise? Was something wrong with him?

A cold chill ran down her spin at the fleeting thought. No, there was nothing wrong with her child.

Babies usually cried a lot after birth, filling the room with confused sobs. She could see him open his mouth, yet no sound was coming out. Before she could start questioning anyone in the room, a nurse gently pried Tsuna from her hold promising the mother that her son would be back as soon as she woke up. 

* * *

"He may not actually be mute, it’s hard to tell with newborns until they’ve reached the age of five and even then we would have to do multiple tests. For now, it may just be selective mutism which is the most common for your son’s age. There’s nothing to do for now until he grows older.” The doctor counseled, a twig of sympathy blooming in her chest as she watched Nana's shoulders relax slightly.

The mother anxiously glanced at the stroller with the silent infant.

“I can only suggest that you pay extra attention to him, maybe expose him to another child. If he feels safe with a peer then that might ease his anxieties.” She advised, rubbing her hands together in dull discomfort. Nana made her slightly nervous, she was a very strange woman.

Many in the community felt bad for the young woman, pitying her. Her and her husband’s love story was definitely one for the books, but the aftermath of the happily ever after was a different tale. She fell in love with Iemitsu Sawada when he was visiting family in the city during the summer, both sneaking past their curfews to meet. Iemitsu himself would always brag in the town bars about what a goddess his wife was, alcohol pumping in his veins. His praises could even make the goddess Athena jealous. Not that the drunkard's praises were just exaggerations.

Nana never spoke poorly about anyone, she always made sure to invite her neighbors to her home for dinner, knew everyone’s name, and even shared recipes. She was just like what her husband would say; kind, loyal, and-

so _naïve_.

As many pitied her for a lackluster marriage, the same called her foolish. She had left _everything_ to marry a man who only knows how to show up once every few months, and when asked about it, she always just smiled and waved off concerned neighbors. Within the confines of their homes, many wives whispered how she was a fool for looking for love in an empty seat. Nane didn't have many friends in Acadia Grove. She was an outsider, light brown hair brushing at her shoulders with matching honey colored eyes. She looked like your typical housewife, almost unnoticeable in the crowd.

Almost. Despite being so plain, there was a strange air about her; once you knew her, she’d be the first person you’d find in a sea of people.

The doctor mused quietly to herself, she remembered a summer years ago where her parents signed her up for an arts camp, urging her to make friends. The camp held a theatre unit over the course of a few weeks, and while she didn't continue down the path of a tortured artist, theatre had taught her how to really _look_ at people.

The general opinion of Nana was a foolish yet kind housewife.

Her opinion of Nana was that it looked like she was just acting out a role given to her. Role: Housewife to an absent husband.

However, this Nana, the one in front of her, was too genuine to be a role.

“What if…” Nana cautioned, the rest of her question left on the tip of her tongue. It wasn’t hard to connect the dots. Her anxiety seeping out in small tremors.

“Rest assured, if his behavior continues after the age of five then we can do some testing. If his test results come back positive then the hospital will help get you connected to Sign Language classes. It won’t be easy but there are many who have been through similar situations." She answered, continuing when the mother doesn't say anything. "Whether or not Tsunayoshi is mute, I still encourage having someone close to his age around him, this will help him ease anxieties and help him build people skills from a young age.” She added. “If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call me Mrs.Sawada.” Handing over a card with contact information, she smiled patiently, watching the mother excuse herself and exit her office.

  
As Nana left the office, pushing the stroller with one hand while holding the card in the other, she didn’t know what to think. Everything so far had been so easy to the brunette. She was seventeen when she met her husband and twenty when she moved to Acadia Grove, up until then she had everything down to perfection. Smile, laugh, wave, greet.

But things were different all of a sudden.

At twenty-one she was left alone with a newborn who couldn’t even _cry_ for help. How was she going to do this? Her idiot of a husband rarely ever came home and she didn't even have friends in this shitty town.

"Relax." She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She could do this. She managed to survive her home up until she met that fool Iemitsu and she was still surviving. “It’ll be okay.” She muttered to herself and without another glance, she tossed out the card.

\-----

A few years later, it became a well known fact among the town.

Nana Sawada's child is mute.

Doctors confirmed that the boy’s broca area was inflicted with trauma, rendering him unable to verbally communicate despite being able to understand what was being said around (or about) him.

He was a small thing, almost pathetic lookinh, brown hair spiking up in different directions defying gravity; small chubby fingers gripping his mother’s leg. Meek and withdrawn, his brown eyes never meeting anyone else’s, preferring to stay in his blanket of comfort.

Another well known fact among the town was the other Sawada child.

Tsuna is mute. Giotte is not.

Giotte Sawada basked in everything the other didn’t want. Iemitsu and Nana adopted him after his parents passed away when he was seven, making him the older sibling by two years. He had warm amber eyes and his blonde hair similar to his younger brother’s. He smiled at strangers, helped Nana shop for groceries, even making friends with anyone who happened to stumble across his path.

Despite what others may think, the siblings were close. When Nana wasn’t in the room, Giotte took it upon himself to care for the younger. Most afternoons consisted of him helping Tsuna with signing, offering objects around the house for the toddler to spell out. After being properly diagnosed, the lessons about sign language immediately began. Even though his brother was incredibly shy, it was endearing watching him clumsily spell out basic things to the best of his ability.

“Whats this?” Giotte asks, holding up a cup. He watched as the brown haired toddler pause, trying to recall his lessons from that afternoon.

_“[C]..[U]..[P]..!”_ He signed slowly, smiling happily when Giotte grinned.

“Good job.” He praised, holding up another object. The two repeated this routine until dinner.

\-----

_“[What’s Golden Cove Academy for the Gifted?]”_ Tsuna signs, perplexed as to why his father was cheering happily at the golden letter that arrived in the mail.

“It’s an elite boarding school, they accept only the best of the best.” Iemitsu explains, noticing the confused look on his youngest’s face. Because of the inconsistent visits, he had yet to learn sign language, so he mainly relied on physical reactions and facial expressions. 

“It’s more private than private schools, not to mention that most of the students are children from really important people.” He babbles, the letter slightly crumpling in his hand.

_“[How did you get in?’]_ ” Tsuna questions, watching his older brother push their father off with a loopy grin. He buried himself into the couch cushion on the opposite side of the chaos, a small comfort that helped ease his anxiety, it was still one of habits he still had ever since he was young.

It wasn’t that he terribly uncomfortable with Iemitsu, despite being flaky, that man was still his father. It was just hard dealing with the noise that followed the older male and given the other’s tendency to leave for long periods of time, he still had not grown used to it, but fortunately his anxiety had eased up over the years. He no longer had panic attacks.

“Probably because of my amazing looks.” Giotte shrugs, grinning when he sees the younger roll his eyes. “I’m pretty sure it was my tests or something”

"That's my boy!" Iemitsu bragged, giving his eldest a slap on the back. "Taking after your old man I see!"

Tsuna snorted quietly, Giotte giving a strained smile in reply to his dad. It went unnoticed as usual.

“We better celebrate with a feast!” Nana exclaimed, speaking up from the love seat she was on. She set down her embroidery and got up, making a bee line to the kitchen to prepare for dinner.

“I’ll help you!” Iemitsu declared, happily following the brunette to the kitchen.

That evening, in a home filled with quiet chatter and laughter, the Sawadas ate in peace.

\-----

It was in the middle of October when it happened. It was a chilly evening, the sun starting to set, pink and orange hues coloring the sky. It was just like the day he was born, his mother had always gushed over it before she met her untimely death. 

'It's almost kind of funny.' He mused, staring out of his window. The tiniest smile painting his lips as he took in the sight.

When he was born, the world held its breath and prayed for him to die.

And their prayers were finally answered.

At seventeen years old, Giotte Sawada was announced dead.


	2. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Sin for supporting this work and helping me create and execute plot bunnies for the future! Special thanks to Leticia, Isaiah, and my DnD club for not complaining whenever I pester them to proofread the new chapter. Remember that this work is crossposted on fanfiction.net under the user mayokisan
> 
> As a reminder :  
>  “ [ This is tsuna signing ]” (Italicized with brackets)  
> ‘This is tsuna thinking’ (Italicized without brackets)  
> This is tsuna writing/typing out his words (underlined words)  
> This is tsuna mouthing something (in bold)

_ “They say newcomers have a certain smell.” - _ **_Twenty One Pilots_ **

* * *

Golden Cove Academy for the Gifted. Established in the late 1800s, the boarding school was built to harness and maintain the talents amongst the gifted youth. Founded by Kawahira Giglio and his wife Sepria Giglio, the two created a space where unique individuals could nurture their abilities and flourish, causing many graduates to become influential figures within their line of work. Eventually, the school’s reputation spread like wildfire throughout nations causing an uproar; families of every caliber fighting for the  _ chance _ of their child being granted a spot in the school. 

However,  as popular as it may be, both Kawahira and Sepria made it very,very clear that just because a child was gifted did not mean the child was  _ special _ . Golden Cove Academy did not accept just  _ anyone _ , no matter how genius a person may be, if they couldn’t meet the expectations of the school then there was no way they would receive an acceptance letter and no amount of bribery could get them past the academy doors.

Standing proudly on top of Mystic Hill, the school oversees Golden Cove from afar, sitting comfortably within the woods. Consisting of three main buildings, a garden, a greenhouse, a watch tower, a library, and two dorm buildings it was obvious to say that no expense went wasted when keeping up with appearances. It had been remodeled multiple times, making sure the elegance and grace from centuries ago reflected in the modern buildings. 

_ ‘It’s unnecessarily big.’  _ Tsuna thinks offhandedly, trailing after the headmaster. 

* * *

It was only four o’clock when Tsuna started to feel uneasy, anxiety pooling in his lower stomach. Confused, he looks around the kitchen to explain his sudden uneasiness. He was in the middle of making lunch, Nana spending the afternoon with Lavina Gokudera; the wife of the new residents of Acadia Grove that moved in two weeks ago (if Tsuna thought hard enough he could  _ maybe  _ remember someone with the last name Gokudera transferring into his class) and Iemitsu was god-knows-where as always. His brother had been going to the academy for three years already, sending brief updates on his school life whenever he couldn’t visit over the breaks.

_ ‘Should I text him?’ _ He pondered, glancing at the clock. Since it was four Giotte should already be back at the dorms, probably studying with classmates or hanging out with friends. His brother always liked it when there was something to do, preferably with others. Iemitsu always said that it was one of his brother’s good qualities but Tsuna thought it was a bit burdensome to deal with others. 

Then again, he didn’t get along with anyone in town except for Giotte.

However, before he could do anything, there was a knock on the door. Sucking in a deep breath, he set the knife down and headed to the door to open it up. In a black suit stood an elderly man, kind warm eyes meeting Tsuna’s.

“Is this the Sawada residence?” The stranger asked, taking off his hat. “I’m Timoteo, the headmaster of Golden Cove Academy.” 

How peculiar. The man looked like a grandpa but stood with dignity like he was someone worth something, yet there wasn’t a trace of arrogance in his form. Tilting his head, he watched as the man continued to smile despite being stared at so intensely. Being mute had a few perks, and a major one was picking up on someone’s body language. Even when he was a kid he noticed that when it came to people in power whether it was a teacher, cop, a manager, they were always looking down on everyone else. 

So why was this man looking at him in the eyes like they were equals?

The world of the prestigious was a strange one for sure. Maybe this was just another tactic of emotional manipulation, Tsuna mused, Giotte always talked about how the students would resort to anything to get their way. 

_ ‘Timoteo huh?’ _ He thinks, glancing up and down. Giotte rarely wrote about the staff at school, so there wasn’t much on the old man.

Pressing his lips into a thin line, Tsuna opened the door to let the other in. There’s no real point in introductions; the old man is the headmaster of an elite private boarding school, he knows everything there is to know about a student’s background and family. If he didn’t, then Tsuna supposed even someone like him could get into Golden Cove.

What a joke.

_ “[Let’s get you inside then.]”  _ Tsuna signed, ignoring the way the older man raised a brow.  _ “[I doubt the headmaster of a prestigious school would come all the way here for a courtesy call.]” _

“Your reputation precedes you.” He responds, following the teen into the living room. “I’m surprised that you knew I could understand sign language.”

_ “[Call it intuition.]”  _ He responds, momentarily disappearing into the kitchen before coming back with two cups of tea. 

“Was it your intuition that made you prepare some tea beforehand?” He questions jokingly, taking a sip. 

_ “[A hobby.]”  _ He snorts, sitting across from the other. 

“One you indulge in frequently?” 

_ “[Just enough. I prefer to drink alone however.]” _

“You’re an interesting child.” He chuckles. “I can see the resemblance between you and your brother.”

_ “[You’d be the first.]” _ He smiles politely, the small talk slowly getting on his nerves. Giotte had always spoken for the both of them because Tsuna, for all his silent patience, hated pointless conversations. The people in town distanced themselves from him after his brother left so with the exception of Nana, no one bothered him.  _ “[Now..]” _ He tilts his head, meeting the other’s eyes.  _ “[May I ask why you’re here?]” _

“I think it’d be best if your guardian also heard this news..” He sighs heavily, suddenly looking like the weight of the world is on his shoulders. “It’s not pleasant.”

_ “[She won’t be home until later.]”  _

“I’m willing to wait.” He offers a small smile. 

What an irritating man. The uneasiness from earlier kept swirling inside of him, making him want nothing more than to kill it. Taking in a deep breath, he set down his cup.

_ “[As you said, you may be willing to wait but I’m not as patient. I hope you understand headmaster.]” _ He smiles, watching the older let out a heavy sigh.

“You’re right, these days time is all we really have huh?” He nods, “Let me get to the point then.” He sets the cup down, his shoulders tensing. “There’s no easy way about this, but Giotte Sawada was found this morning by the school staff-”

In that moment it felt like something in him curled up and  _ died _ . The uneasiness from earlier twisting into something much more sinister.

Ah. The feeling was hatred.

Tightening his hold on the cup, he waited until the older finished relaying the information. Giotte was found this morning in bed, one of the house keepers entered his room to clean and found the poor blonde hanging.

“I’m truly sorry for your loss.” Timoteo lamented, sorrow reflecting in his eyes. “He was an outstanding student.”

_ ‘Your favorite I’m sure.’  _ Tsuna mused, glancing down at his cup. Suicide wasn’t surprising. In an environment where everyone is gifted in something, some students may think they’re not as gifted as others and become desperate to achieve something amazing. It’s pitiful but that’s how the school’s world is, being gifted meant that if you couldn’t prove that you deserved to be there then you were worth nothing. Suicide was to be expected in that kind of environment. But Giotte committing suicide? The thought alone was funny.

_ “[So they assume it was suicide?]” _ He asks, watching the confusion gloss over the headmaster’s eyes for a brief moment then having it disappear all together.

“You don’t think it was?” He questions. “Giotte was an amazing student but even then our curriculum and student environment is-”

_ “[My brother was an amazing person and he wasn’t the type to leave something once he started.]”  _ He starts, cutting off the elder.  _ “[That’s why you don’t believe he killed himself either.]” _

“What makes you say that?” He raises a brow. 

_ “[The handkerchief in the pocket of your suit.]” _ He points,  _ “[The embroidery is beautiful but it’s not complete yet, my brother’s talent wasn’t his smarts, it was his art. He was talented in sculpting but liked trying different art forms, he sent me some of his sketches for embroidery last week.]” _

A beat of silence later and suddenly Timoteo was laughing, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. “Giotte was right. You are special.”

* * *

“Ah, Luce!” The headmaster called out, a girl with short blue hair looking up from her papers. “I’d like you to give a more in depth tour to our newest student here, this is Tsunayoshi.”

“Of course! Hello, I’m Luce, the student council president for the night students.” She smiles, extending her hand. “Usually night students aren’t allowed on campus until classes start but the student council is an exception.” She explains, having caught the newcomer eyeing her black uniform.

Golden Cove Academy for the Gifted had many unique qualities to it and a major one would be the students. They were separated based on their talents and family background. This meant that if you were a child of a government official and you had proven yourself to be a genius in art then you would be sorted in the ‘Sun’ group, becoming a day student. Day students consisted of kids from legally ‘clean money’ families. This meant politicians, royalty, military, and most civilians. Their talents included medicine, art, music, science, certain sports, among other things. 

However, if you were from a mafia family and your talent involved creating firearms that no military has ever seen, then you’d fit right into the lives of the night students of the ‘Moon’ group. These students came from the underworld, so to speak. They came from families of mafia made men and women, yakuza, mob, assassination organizations, and gangs. Their talents consisted of creating poisons, gun handling, killing, spying, and other things.

That being said, there were a few expectations. If you were from a government family, but had a talent in gun handling and assassination then you would become a night student. This worked the same way if you were from a gang but your talent happened to be music. It was easier to sort students when their talents reflected the life they lead outside the academy, but these occurrences were a rarity. 

“Tsunayoshi here is mute so please be mindful during the tour, Luce.” He informs, excusing himself after the girl nods in understanding.

“I’m afraid that I don’t know any sign language so if you have any questions you can use my phone to type them out.” She unlocks her phone handing it to him, looking a bit embarrassed. “If you need me to stop or anything like that then you can grab my sleeve or tap me or something.”

_ ‘How cute, she’s like a chipmunk’ _ Tsuna smiles, nodding

“Like I said, night students aren't allowed to come on campus when day classes are in session and vice versa, but there are a few neutral places that are open 24/7 for everyone.” She says, leading him to the greenhouse. “This is one of them, it’s mostly used for both student councils to meet when planning school wide events like Halloween Hunt or Christmas Cheer.” She explains. “Do you have any questions?” She asks, watching him type.

How do the neutral places work if day and night students aren’t allowed on campus?

“Ahh that can be a little confusing but basically the neutral grounds are the greenhouse, the field, library, and the headmaster’s building. The campus has three main buildings and two of them are used for lessons while the other one is for the headmaster and staff, students are allowed to go there if there’s a pressing issue that the student council is unable to solve. The greenhouse is only really used for the student councils to get together and plan out events but it has been used for labs before. The field is for the athletes in both groups and sometimes students use it to relieve stress by having games between eachother. The library is always occupied by students especially during finals.”

There’s two student councils? What’s the point?

“Yep! As you know the students are split into Sun and Moon groups, so interaction between both parties is pretty limited with the exception of school wide events and the student councils. We’re essentially the best of the best in terms of talent and grades. Each student council has eight members and those eight are the only ones permitted to go on campus even if their classes aren’t in session. We make sure everything is running smoothly and act as the disciplinary figure if needed. We solve issues between students and oversee everything” She explains. 

_ ‘What a pain’ _ He thinks, typing.

What’s the difference between the learning curriculum? 

“Good question! All students learn advanced materials when it comes to math, history, science, and english so we end up sharing those instructors. The difference is that day students have special lessons like AP Art Studies, Etiquette 101, Military Tactics, and Fencing. Night students have Assassin Psychology, Beheading 101, Hand-to-Hand Combat, and AP Black Arts. Everything is designed to appeal to the student’s talents.”

* * *

“..and that concludes today’s tour!” She concludes, looping around the campus to end up where they first started. “I hope I explained everything clearly, I know I can ramble.” 

Shaking his head, he types;  You were a great tour guide, thank you

“ I take it the tour is finished?” Coyote Nougat, right hand to the headmaster, asks, appearing before the two.

“Ye!” She smiles, looking back at the boy. “It’s a shame that we’re not a part of the same group though.” She pouts. “I bet we would’ve been really good friends!”

Puzzled, the two males glance at each other. 

Clearing his throat, Coyote looks at the girl. “I think there’s a misunderstanding Ms.Giglio. Tsunayoshi won’t be joining the Sun group. He’s the newest night student.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, there’s a lot of things I’m planning out with the help of my friends. I don’t have a beta so if anyone is interested please feel free to message me! Let me know what you think of the story so far and if there’s anything I can clarify then leave a comment and I’ll address it in the next chapter! I’m pretty new to this so I can just for your patience and to oversee my progress c: 
> 
> Also I'm not really all that great using ao3 so if you have any tricks and tips please let me know!


	3. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to seth for encouraging me to write because I cried like seven times  
> Time to actually start getting into the story aha enjoy and leave comments pls  
> As a reminder :  
> " [ This is tsuna signing ]" (Italicized with brackets)  
> 'This is tsuna thinking' (Italicized without brackets)  
> This is tsuna writing/typing out his words (Underlined)  
> This is Tsuna mouthing something (In bold)

* * *

_"Walls have ears, doors have eyes. Beware the rain, beware the snow, beware the man you think you know.” -_ **Songs of Sapphique**

* * *

Oddities were normal for the academy. To the mass population, it’s a place where kids could flourish, and for the most part it is, but that was to be expected really, no one was quite sane when they lived here. Home to many geniuses and prodigies, ‘normalcy’ was thrown out the window as soon as one stepped through the academy’s doors.

Mafia made children grin with arrogance and skill, striding through the halls like they own it (which in a sense, they did). Royalty and politicians waltz in and out of classrooms manipulating anyone that gets in their way (Afterall, it’s your fault if you fall for their pretty words). No one so much batted an eye at the bullet holes in the field or the dried blood stains in the corner of the bathrooms, seeing as such occurrences were just a part of the everyday life of a Golden Cove student. 

As for civilian students, it’s enforced by staff members that they forget what the outside world was like until they were to return home for the holidays. Though cruel, it was necessary. Forgetting meant surviving. Students who failed to toughen up were met with belittling remarks about their background and were subject to the restless bullying done by their peers (while sad, staff did little to stop it. You could either deal with it or not, your weaknesses were your own fault). These kids couldn’t afford to expect normal.

However, like any institution, there are rules. 

The three main rules that every student is expected to abide by are as follow:

  1. **No unsanctioned killing of a student or faculty member.**
  2. **No dating between the same or opposite sexes.**
  3. **Remain within school boundaries at all times.**



Of course, there were little rules such as wearing your school uniform and coming to class on time, but those were met with little to no consequence if not met. 

However, those who dare oppose were met with a fate worse than hell itself.

* * *

**“No unsanctioned killings?”** Tsuna mouths, looking a little confused at the first rule. He could understand if this was strictly for night students, but how did this apply to day students? What did it even mean? 

“It means that without explicit permission, no one is allowed to kill their peer or teacher.” Hana huffs in annoyance “Stupid monkey. You don’t think that night students are the only ones that can pull a trigger?”

Tsuna stifles a small smile, looking at the girl sitting next to him.

Hana Kurokawa. While she isn’t in the student council, she is the class president and tasked with helping Tsuna settle in. The two sat in the common lounge of the Night student dormitory, papers and books laid across in front of them. She had an odd habit of calling the males monkeys and even claims that the stupider they are, the worse her hives can get if she talks to them for too long.

She’s strange but at least she isn’t annoying.

Usually, Tsuna had trouble connecting with his peers (for obvious reasons) but Hana reminds him of his mom in a weird way and she had no trouble in speaking her mind. It helps that she happened to know how to read lips.

“Okay, now let’s break down the Legacies.” She says, ripping a piece of paper into ten long strips then proceeding to write on each one of them. “Legacies are affiliations that every student is associated with, the day students have the same thing but with minor differences. You can ask one during a school event or something.” 

“First we have the Preps.” She says, handing him the piece of paper with a few names written. “They’re your rich kids from corrupt intelligence agencies like the FBI in America or the SISMI in Italy. I consider them to be fascists monkeys.”

Nodding, he lets her continue after looking at the piece of paper.

“Then we have the Triads and Kuroki Syndicate, basically the chinese and japanese mafia respectively. They’re dangerous so I would steer clear of them.” She shudders. “They fall under the same category since they originate from Asia but they’re vastly different. They make up the majority of the disciplinary committee.”

_‘There’s so many groups and students.’_ Tsuna sighs inwardly, taking the paper. It’ll be a pain trying to gather information but at least the other is giving him a summary of everything, even if it’s unknowingly.

“Next up is the Final World Order, street gang. Will not hesitate to shoot you if you get on their bad side.” She makes a gun with her hand, pointing it to his knee. “Once, their leader got irritated and shot the teacher in the knee. He’s an impulsive monkey.”

Tsuna pales slightly. 

“There are other groups but the main focus is the Arcobaleno, there’s nine in total and eight of them are the student council.” 

**“How come?”** He asks, looking down at all the names.

“The last one, Bermuda, he enjoys working in the shadows kinda like a ghost. Think of him as the unofficial member.” 

_‘Nine people to absolutely avoid then.’_ He hums. Suddenly realizing something, he looks at Hana, **“What group are you in?”**

“ _We,_ ” She emphasizes, “have no legacy or affliction to fall back on. We are Rats.”

* * *

“That’s the new student?” A boy with wild purple hair questions, frowning at the file presented. The others in the room give a slight nod of agreement.

“He’s..not really what I expected.” At Luce’s questioning brow, he hastily continues “Obviously I know not to judge a book by it’s cover or whatever but-”

“He’s painfully plain, kora!” A blond interrupts from the sofa, long legs hanging off the edge. “That’s what the lackey is tryna say.” He adds, grinning when the scientist next to him starts to play with his hair.

“As much as I hate to agree with Skull and Colonello of all people,” A girl with a scar across her face speaks up, tossing the file in the fire. “This Sawada kid doesn’t look like he’s gonna survive. What was the headmaster thinking?”

“He probably wasn’t Lal.” A hooded figure snorts from his seat, counting the bills in front of him. The long haired teen on the opposite side nodding in agreement as he drinks his tea. “He’s senile for letting a civilian with no background become a student.” 

“Anything to add Fon?” Lal asks the long haired teen.

Setting his cup down, he presses his lips in a thin line “Hm..I have nothing to add or take away from the new student. He’s not a person I would like to associate with however.”

“You guys are so cruel.” Luce sighs dramatically. “There really is no benefit of the doubt these days huh? What about chivalry? Is that also dead? Verde, find a way to bring back the dead!” She commands childishly, the scientist cracking a small smile.

“Mou, Luce don’t even start” The hooded boy exasperated. “You’re gonna make me lose count.”

“So money hungry Mammon” Colonello teases, relaxing as Verde’s hands massage his scalp. Lal joining the two on the couch, slipping underneath the blonde’s legs.

“This is all your fault Skull.” Luce accuses, pouting as the stuntman tries to choke back a laugh. “You planted the seed of doubt!”

“Sorry Luce, but I’m not kind enough to offer the benefit of the doubt.” Skull shrugs, finding his way next to Fon. 

Smiling fondly, Luce rests her elbows on top of her desk and props her chin on top of her palm acknowledging the two new prescences. “What about you two? What do you think of the boy, Renato? Bermuda?” The others in the room glancing at two who’re leaning against the door frame.

“He’s average.” Bermuda shrugs, earring dangling with every movement “The only thing worth noting is that he’s mute.”

“So far it’s seven versus one” She groans, ignoring the amusement twinkling in the other’s eyes “Reborn?” 

“Let’s watch him.” Renato decides, glancing over the profile once more “Maybe he’ll do something interesting.”

* * *

Despite saying that, he had come to find out that Tsunayoshi Sawada was average (much to his disappointment). Bermuda was right, the only thing that the boy had going for him was that he couldn’t talk and even that wasn’t anything special. 

He’s plain, vanishing easily in the sea of blurry faces, boring, and to top it all off-

He’s a rat.

Rats, by definition, are the lowest of the low. They have no affiliation, choosing to stay out of a legacy for one reason or another. Many saw it as a sign of disloyalty, how could you trust someone who wasn’t even a part of a legacy? Personally, he had nothing against them except for when their pranks disrupted his morning coffee. 

The only real issue about Rats was for Rats; not being a part of a legacy made it harder to form alliances and it was a sure fire way to get killed faster. Though, if they wanted to die faster who was he to stop them? He isn’t a therapist. He isn’t even _nice_.

He has the highest kills in the school and his success rates are always 100%, being nice for another’s sake is beyond him.

Don’t get him wrong, he isn’t a bully either. Bullying is below his standards and a Sinclair never does anything below his or her standards.

* * *

Tsuna would like to point out that Hana is a godsend and he will _break_ anyone who tries his little bookworm friend.

Surprisingly (or not), the two quickly became friends. The reason she became a rat was because, in her eyes, everyone else was just a monkey and while he wouldn’t use those words himself, she did have a point. The legacies are very tight knit, following their respective leaders without question, doing what they were told. In short, it was like watching a bunch of brainless brutes fight (which was exactly what was happening). They talked with their fists, some with guns and knives. It was unnecessarily bloody, every group fighting while the Rats suffered most of the jeers as the Acrobaleno watched from their thrones.

Hana was his only solace in this hell.

She had a backbone, words sharper than swords and faster than bullets. Even if she was a Rat she didn’t let anyone try and get the best of her, she worked hard in academics and harder in assassinating. 

She was officially his favorite person. She didn’t treat him any different from anyone else but was notably softer when they hung out, chided him when he wasn’t doing well but praised him when he figured out how to use a formula.

In turn, he checked out books for her (the library had a limit to five books per student), made her tea before their classes started, and left her alone when she was studying. He even made sure to keep quiet about the plushies stored in the back of her closet.

It was two worlds coexisting, parallel to one another. Never touching but always aware of the other. 

Which is why, when the English teacher announces the last pair for the term project, he feels as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him. 

He was paired up with Renato Sinclair. 

Fucking great.

“You look like shit” Hana points out hiding a smile, the two walking to their lockers. “Do you really hate the idea of being with Renato? He’s a dangerous monkey but at least he’s not dumb. Easy A.”

**“I just don’t like people like him.”** He crinkles his nose in dismay, dreading over the pending future.

“Well term projects last around three months, poor timing since you transferred at the start of the second term.” She pats his back “The Arcobaleno are the more relaxed legacies around here, they don’t go picking fights for no reason so you should be good.”

**“Tell that to his attitude.”** He huffs. As he waits for her to grab her books, he feels someone staring at him from the stairs. Looking up he meets Renato’s stare, brown eyes meeting obsidian. 

_‘He’s like a predator’_ He thinks, fear slowly beginning to bloom in his chest. The stare alone stripping away any defenses, peering into his very soul. Smirking, the taller forms a gun with his pointer finger and thumb and points it to his head. _Oh._

This was Renato’s way of making him understand-

No one will miss a Rat.

The fear from moments ago fade, anger taking over. Who did this Renato think he was? God? Everyone else can go ahead and kiss the ground the bastard walks but Tsuna would rather die than admit defeat to a 6ft punk ass Italian. 

_‘Don’t make me laugh’_ He thinks, their peers oblivious to the staredown between the two. Taking in a deep breath, he flashes a bright smile at the other. 

Lifting his middle finger up, he mouths **“Try me Bambino.”**

“Cmon Madam Beatrice will beat us if we’re late.” Hana grumbles, finally closing her locker. “Something up?” She asks, raising a brow.

He shakes his head, following after her, snickering quietly at the other’s reaction. He’s mute, not a pushover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha hello! Sorry for the late update, I went on a week long trip with my family (I just graduated from highschool and my sister from middle school so it was a little get away) and I couldn’t write as much as I would have liked since there was no inspiration out there. Please take this chapter as an apology! I don’t have anything to add but I’m trying to update every other week but nothing is set in stone. Also I'm sorry if the format is weird on ao3 I'm trying to get used to it lol 
> 
> But wow! Tsuna has some balls lmao and Hana is so cute I love her!! I plan on having more female characters but they’ll come along later, everyone from khr will be making an appearance in due time so don’t fret, it’ll take some time. I’m also planning on writing a royalty piece so keep your eyes out for that.  
> \- Mayoki


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